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Welcome back, everyone. What a terribly sad weekend.
Top News in the A.M.
Big news: Microsoft is buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. The software giant is offering $196 per share in an all-cash transaction that’s expected to close by the end of the year. (Nice premium: LinkedIn’s shares were trading at $131 as of Friday.) Microsoft says that LinkedIn, which claims 433 million members, will continue to operate as an independent company with Jeff Weiner remaining in his role as CEO. The New York Times has more here.
Walgreens is officially terminating its relationship with Theranos. TechCrunch has more here.
Starting at 10 a.m. PST, Apple will be offering a sneak peak at changes to its mobile IOS operating system, its Apple Watch and the Apple TV (and maybe more). You can tune in here to watch it live.
Andreessen Horowitz Raises $1.5 Billion Again
In March, we told you that Andreessen Horowitz was targeting $1.5 billion for its fifth and newest fund. On Friday, the seven-year-old Sand Hill Road firm confirmed that it has closed on that amount, having secured the capital commitments from its previous investors.
The announcement comes a little more than two years after the firm closed its fourth, multi-stage venture capital fund with $1.5 billion.
The money also comes on the heels of a $200 million fund that the firm announced last November called the AH Bio Fund, a vehicle that’s being used to invest in mostly early-stage startups at the intersection of computer science and life sciences. (We wrote about its newest bet, Freenome, last week.)
Altogether, Andreessen Horowitz has now raised a somewhat stunning $6.2 billion. Managing partner Scott Kupor shared more about the fundraise and what’s changing (and not changing) in a chat Friday morning. Our conversation has been edited slightly for length and clarity.
How would you describe this fundraise?
It was a great raise. It took a relatively short period of time; we were oversubscribed. It’s consistent with our last funds in terms of size, based on the opportunity set we see in VR and artificial intelligence and core enterprise infrastructure, among other things.
Any changes to your mandate?
No, we’ll still do multistage investing in software companies, with about 70 percent of our bets going into early-stage stuff and the rest going into later-stage stuff.
What about seed-stage investing? Marc Andreessen had suggested a few years ago that the firm might dial back on this except for “fringe” technologies or products.
We’re still doing seed investing. Earlier on, we did a lot of small seed investments where we’d put in $50,000, but we realized that a better approach for us would be to take bigger positions and do fewer of them . . . so a lot of our deals today range from $500,000 to $1.5 million where we’re not just part of a party round but a major investor and those companies become part of the full Andreessen Horowitz family, meaning they can [take advantage] of our [internal] service and networking groups.
You’d also kind of backed off of late-stage deals, the idea being that newer investors could mark up your deals. Has that changed or will it as those non-traditional investors back away?
Yes, if there are greater opportunities or later-stage becomes more attractive. I’m not smart enough to know how to forecast it.
There has been some turnover at the firm. How many GPs do you have currently, and will that change with this new fund?
Aunt Bertha, a six-year-old, Austin, Tex.-based startup that enables individuals to find and apply for government and charitable social service programs, has raised $5 million in funding led by Techstars Ventures. SiliconHills has more here.
Carro, a year-old, Singapore-based online marketplace for buying and selling cars, has raised $5.3 million in Series A funding led by Indonesia’s Venturra Capital, with participation from Singtel Innov8, Golden Gate Ventures,Alpha JWC Ventures, Skystar Capital and GMO Venture Partners, among others. TechCrunch has more here.
Meta, a four-year-old, Redwood City, Ca.-based company that makes special glasses that are part-AR viewer and part-VR simulator, has raised $50 million in Series B funding, including from Horizons Ventures, Lenovo, Tencent Holdings, Banyan Capital, Comcast Ventures, and GQY. TechCrunch has more here.
Commerce Ventures, a San Francisco.-based venture capital firm, has held the first close of its second fund at $ 25.6 million. According to an SEC filing, the firm is targeting $40 million. More here.
Vivo Capital, 20-year-old, Palo Alto, Ca.-based healthcare investment firm, has closed a new, early-stage fund, Vivo PANDA Fund, with more than $100 million in capital commitments from unnamed financial institutions, corporate entities and family offices. The firm plans to plug the money into healthcare companies across the industry spectrum, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and diagnostics. More here.
Cloud communications software company Twilio plans to sell 10 million shares of its stock at a price of $10 to $12 per share. Priced in the middle of that range, the company would enjoy a market cap of $1.07 billion — slightly more than the valuation it was assigned during its last funding round. Fortune has more here.
Axel Springer has agreed to buy market researcher eMarketer for roughly $250 million as the German publisher continues its push into digital businesses and English-speaking markets. Advertising Age has more here.
Just two weeks after filing papers for an IPO, BlueCoat Systems, the cybersecurity company, is accepting a $4.5 billion takeover offer instead from the antivirus software giant Symantec. TechCrunch has more here.
OneLogin, a six-year-old, San Francisco-based company that makes cloud identity and access management software, is acquiring Portadi, a two-year-old, Santa Clara, Ca.-based startup that helps its users control access to cloud apps. OneLogin has raised roughly $42 million from investors, shows CrunchBase. Portadi had raised an undisclosed amount from Microsoft Accelerator, shows CrunchBase. TechCrunch has more here.
The founders of Lyft talk Uber, Carl Icahn, and driverless cars.
Tom Rikert has been promoted from partner to general partner at Next World Capital, the San Francisco-based early-revenue stage venture capital firm. Rikert joined Next World in 2014 from Andreessen Horowitz, where he was a partner on the investment team focused on enterprise startups.
Solar will become the cheapest source to produce power in many countries over the next 15 years, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Fortune has the numbers here.
Amazon is preparing to launch a standalone music streaming subscription service, placing it squarely in competition with rival offerings from Apple and Spotify, according to a Reuters report. More here.
Uber backer China Life Insurance has also decided to back Uber’s biggest rival in China, Didi Chuxing. The WSJ has more here.
AT&T and Verizon are still in contention for Yahoo, reports Reuters, which says a consortium led by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and backed by Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett will also be invited to submit another bid. More here.
Snapchat just positioned itself for a colossal expansion on the advertising front. AdWeek dives in here.
For two “Mindy Project” writers, plenty of plot twists.


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Virtual Reality, or VR, is no longer a futuristic benefit reserved for The Jetsons. It’s here, and it’s quickly gaining popularity in the gaming world and beyond as more and more influencers are realizing the real value of VR and its potential to influence the way we work and live. In fact, virtual reality is one of the three innovation pillars – along with connectivity and artificial intelligence – Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer revealed during the company’s annual conference.
Last week, MakeOffices partnered with NotionTheory, a leader in virtual reality software development, to launch notionVR, the East Coast’s first Virtual Reality arcade, in our Dupont Circle coworking community in DC. The arcade allows visitors to experience the best of VR and play popular games like fruit ninja on the HTC Vive, which features a dual-wielding hand motion sensor for a full range of motion.
The potential of VR is far more expansive than just gaming. According to Kristian Bouw, CEO and co-founder of NotionTheory, “Virtual reality is the next big media frontier and serves as an empathy engine for us to connect with people and our surroundings in ways that we never have before.” At the launch event for notionVR, Kristian and Sean McBeth, Lead VR Engineer at NotionTheory, also shared the history of VR and the metaverse to a packed house of DC tech influencers. While the launch event was an exclusive first look, the arcade is now open to the public. Visitors can reserve 30-minute slots to experience the latest in VR. MakeOffices members have exclusive free access to the arcade every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m and should contact their Community Manager to sign up.

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The manufacturer of the now-banned Cosmic Carabao Gin said that it is aware of the “unverified reports” on social media about its product and assured the public it is investigating the liquor with third-party laboratories.
Juan Brew Inc. reminded the public that the Food and Drug Administration has already taken action on the gin, although the manufacturer added it is also “engaging the services of FDA accredited third-party testing laboratories.”
It is conducting independent tests on the product “to determine any possible issue” in its production, JBI said on Facebook.
The brewing company also insisted that it has been registered with FDA since 2016 and is authorized to operate as a business until 2023.
“Since 2016, the Company was granted ten (10) individual Certificates of Product Registration (CPRs) for several varieties of beverages and not a single complaint was brought to our attention since then,” it added.
JBI said it is continuously coordinating with FDA and other relevant agencies while it has suspended the distribution of Cosmic Carabao Gin to the public.
There were Filipinos, however, who questioned JBI’s statement and pointed out that it failed to relay the gin itself did not have a certificate of product registration.
“Registered nga kayo, pero ‘yung Cosmic Carabao itself, hindi. Ba’t niyo dinistribute?” a Facebook user commented.
“Soooo, ayaw niyong aminin na kayo ang may sala? It’s interesting that you conveniently omit the fact that your Cosmic Carabao gin wasn’t approved by the FDA,” another user wrote.
The FDA previously revealed that while the manufacturer is licensed to operate and sell liquor, the gin’s application for a certificate of product registration has not yet been approved.
“Itong Juan Brewery, mayroon siyang license to operate na valid until 2023, pero itong produkto mismo itong Cosmic Carabao nu’ng pina-check natin ang registration kaka-apply pa lamang niya for registration for a certificate of product registration nitong end of May 2019,” FDA officer-in-charge Rolando Enrique Domingo said.
There were also Filipinos who questioned the manufacturer’s usage of the term “unverified reports” in its statement, noting that the gin has already been discovered to contain high methanol which caused the poisoning.
“Unverified? Ano doon? ‘Yung merong high level ng methanol ‘yung gin niyo? ‘Yung nakalason kayo? Sabi na nga ng FDA ‘di ba? Kaya nga i-co-confiscate ‘di ba?” a Facebook user wrote.
The FDA on July 9 ordered a complete seizure and ban of the gin in the market after it discovered the product contained methanol usually found in household products and aircraft fuel, among others.
Last week, a series of unverified posts with the same message circulated on social media that claimed a certain disc jockey was poisoned for drinking Cosmic Carabao Gin.
The message, which was also forwarded by actress-businesswoman Alma Concepcion, warned people against drinking “all local craft beers and spirits.” It reads:
“Stay away from ALL local craft beer and spirits. Jess Milner is currently confined in the hospital for having drank Carabao Gin.”
“She has currently gone blind in her left eye and there are more reported cases of death upon consumption of these products. Locally crafted spirits do not go through any FDA regulations.”
A community of local craft beer brewers debunked the allegations and said the process of making beers is “totally different” from the process for spirits, saying that methanol is not produced during beer production.
Methanol, they clarified, is only produced during distillation, the process of producing spirits such as gin.
While the case of the DJ remains unverified, her latest public posts on Facebook suggests she is on her way to recovery after hospitalization.
There were also allegations on Twitter that tagged Cosmic Carabao Gin in other cases of methanol poisoning.


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"I Was Afraid to Be Associated With My Brand"—What It's Like to Be an Asian American Founder Today
As COVID-19 ravaged the nation, Sarah Paiji Yoo and her sustainable cleaning product company, Blueland, were subjected to increasingly derogatory and racist remarks—some from customers. She shares her story.
In the second week of March 2020, I felt the world shift under my feet. Online orders for my business' products were up 300 percent compared to the previous month, but our factories told us they were shutting down. My mom called me in a panic, urging me to pull my son out of school, and to stock up on masks—something I hadn’t ever thought I’d wear in America. And for the first time since I was on the playground, I was called a chink—by a customer, no less.
My sustainable cleaning products company Blueland was born out of my identities as a mom and an environmentalist; it had nothing to do with being an Asian-American woman. But since the rise of COVID-19 in the U.S., my “Asianness” has been inextricably tied to my company. On social media and through email, the brand was inundated with derogatory comments about my race as well as about the manufacturers we use in China. This pandemic has brought with it fear, economic insecurity, and an emboldening of Americans to vocalize the most hateful and extreme opinions they have about their neighbors, much of it aimed toward Asian-Americans like myself.
In the last 18 months, Blueland has received 1,500 comments on social media about how we should be ashamed of our employees and our manufacturing practices. Many are explicitly hateful: “I wouldn’t buy from a chink anyways” and “Don’t you think we’ve gotten enough from China?” For the first time in my career, I’ve wondered whether associating my name and my face with my company would be a safety concern for my family. That fear makes my heart ache.
There’s another kind of comment that might seem innocuous at first glance, but is just as uninformed: “Yes, I figured they were made in China. Not buying your product,” wrote one person on Facebook. Comments like this come from a point of view that had already festered before COVID, part of America's long and conflicted relationship with China. I’d like to be clear—these ideas are also deeply racist.
There’s a belief among consumers that products that are “Made in China” are shoddy, toxic, and unethical. This perception, first made popular in the ‘80s, might have been true 30 years ago when Chinese manufacturing capabilities were far behind America’s. But today, Chinese factories are often equipped with the technology and capabilities to produce certain products at the utmost level of quality and in quantities that businesses need.
The "Made in China" issue underscores a broader social and economic concern. There’s absolutely an opportunity to reinvest in American manufacturing. The U.S. needs the infrastructure to produce higher-quality products at more reasonable costs; keeping the supply chain local is good for our economy as well as our environment. However, the reality is that we are far from achieving that and a company like mine exists inside a larger ecosystem of supply chains and manufacturing capabilities. Working globally is the only way to create the quality and scale our customers demand at an accessible price point. There’s a long list of brands known for their quality, safety, and ethics that choose to manufacture in China, including Patagonia, Dove, BabyBjorn, Toms, Ikea, and Apple, just to name a few. The difference is that these companies don’t have an Asian American leading them.
Even from peers and fellow business leaders, we’ve been told to minimize the truth about our supply chain. Investors have suggested we focus on how our cleaning formulas are manufactured in the U.S., or that we highlight that our products are designed in California. But denying China’s manufacturing prowess is a form of exclusion and racism at its core.
In the last year, this sentiment has been overlaid onto Asian people, including myself. A sentiment that says we are also shoddy, toxic, and unethical. Many see Asians as a threat to their own family’s health. Trump repeatedly used the coronavirus to denigrate Asians— calling it the “Kung Flu” at his rallies (opens in new tab), while he and most of his constituents refused to wear masks (opens in new tab) to prevent infecting one another.
Given this rise in rhetoric, it’s perhaps no surprise that there has been a sharp rise in verbal and physical hate crimes against Asian-Americans (opens in new tab) across the nation. While it’s horrifying to witness this type of bigotry in this century, the sad truth is that Asian-American's have historically been wrongly and offensively linked to disease and disloyalty. It’s not just part of a shameful past, but a living part of our present.
In response, I started pulling back from appearing in social media posts for Blueland and found myself suggesting we use our social media manager, who is white, for our demo videos and ads. When our creative team suggested using an Asian-American model as the only model for a product shoot, I hesitated. I didn’t want to expose the model to the same racist attention that I'd experienced. And to my shame, I realized I'd started playing into this racist framework when my intention had always been to do the opposite.
COVID-19 has rearranged people’s priorities. It’s become apparent that nothing is more important than you and your family’s health. That is one of the reasons why my company is experiencing a boom in relevance and sales. Blueland’s products speak for themselves without me as a spokesperson or our team manipulating marketing materials to exaggerate patriotism. But as a consumer, I know that I value companies that stand up for their beliefs, even if it makes them unpopular with the majority. How I treat my teams, my partners, and my customers should match my values.
My products keep people healthy. Some parts are “Made in China.” I am a proud Asian-American businesswoman. Some might believe that these three facets of my business are contradictory, but I’m beginning to understand how these truths support each other. If being honest means leaving behind some consumers, losing potential investors, or slowing our company’s growth, I willingly accept that. In fact, I celebrate it. I know it’s the right thing to do to protect our country’s health—environmentally and morally.
Sarah Paiji Yoo is CEO and Co-Founder of Blueland, which is reimagining cleaning products to eliminate single-use plastic packaging.
I Tested the Oura Ring Fitness Tracker Jennifer Aniston Loves—It Knew I Was Getting Sick Before I Did
Learn more about yourself by simply slipping on a ring.
By Brooke Knappenberger
Pearls Are Back for 2023—But These Aren't Your Grandmother's Pearls
Classic, contemporary, and everything in between.
By Gabrielle Ulubay
Meghan Markle Made $80K Per Year With The Tig, But Could Make Much More With a Relaunch: Branding Expert
It could be a smart business move for the duchess.
By Iris Goldsztajn
Peloton’s Selena Samuela on Turning Tragedy Into Strength
Before becoming a powerhouse cycling instructor, Selena Samuela was an immigrant trying to adjust to new environments and new versions of herself.
By Emily Tisch Sussman
This Mutual Fund Firm Is Helping to Create a More Sustainable Future
Amy Domini and her firm, Domini Impact Investments LLC, are inspiring a greater and greener world—one investor at a time.
Power Players Build on Success
"The New Normal" left some brands stronger than ever. We asked then what lies ahead.
By Maria Ricapito
Don't Stress! You Can Get in Good Shape Money-wise
Yes, maybe you eat paleo and have mastered crow pose, but do you practice financial wellness?
By Sallie Krawcheck
The Book Club Revolution
Lots of women are voracious readers. Other women are capitalizing on that.
By Lily Herman
The Future of Women and Work
The pandemic has completely upended how we do our jobs. This is Marie Claire's guide to navigating your career in a COVID-19 world.
By Megan DiTrolio
Black-Owned Coworking Spaces Are Providing a Safe Haven for POC
For people of color, many of whom prefer to WFH, inclusive coworking spaces don't just offer a place to work—they cultivate community.
By Megan DiTrolio
Where Did All My Work Friends Go?
The pandemic has forced our work friendships to evolve. Will they ever be the same?
By Rachel Epstein


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On Tuesday Apple released critcal security updates for all of its core products — MacBooks, iPad, iPhone, even Apple Watch. All of these fix critical “0-day” vulnerabilities.
In the worst case, merely receiving an iMessage from an attacker could allow your iPhone or iPad to be hacked.
The good news is that the only known organization using this attack today is an Israeli security first. However, now that the bug is known you can expect to see it used more widely.
How to Update Your iPhone & iPad
- Open Settings (“Hey Siri, Open Settings”)
- Scroll down and tap General
- Tap Software Update
- You can check for updates from this screen and then install them, or you will be told that your iPhone or iPad is already up-to-date.


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With football season just around the corner, a national restaurant chain is hoping to score a touchdown by opening a new CSRA location.
Atlanta-based, Touchdown Wings plans to open a new location at 3328 Wrightsboro Road, next door to Walmart in Augusta, replacing Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs, which closed last month. The restaurant is scheduled to open in October, according to the company’s website.
Touchdown Wings currently offers 30 flavors of chicken wings, including spicy ranch, lemon pepper, teriyaki, and Cajun, as well as burgers, sandwiches, salads, and seafood.
The company was founded in 2017 by business partners and brothers, Jay Yang and Jeremy Lin. Prior to founding Touchdown Wings, Yang owned Hong Kong City, a Chinese restaurant, according to a recent article from Yahoo Sports. The restaurant’s menu includes fried rice, a popular Chinese dish.
“They chose the name Touchdown Wings because they wanted the name to relate to football since the restaurant idea came from the demand for wings on Super Bowl Sunday,” the article said. “To Yang’s surprise, no one had a trademark on Touchdown Wings, and he was able to secure it.”
The company currently has more than 20 locations in Georgia, mostly in the Atlanta area, but there are also Touchdown Wings locations in both St. Louis and Philadelphia. Besides Augusta, the chain plans to open five more new locations in Georgia, including Powder Springs, Warner Robins, and Union City within the next few months.
For more information, visit touchdownwings.com/.


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Auto giant highlights growing market for second hand electric vehicles with new £175 a month offer
The Nissan Leaf first launched in the UK in 2011, meaning a second hand market for the trail-blazing electric vehicle is starting to materialise as early adopters look for an upgrade. Nissan has this...
BBC reports Nissan has concluded Brexit deal has secured long term future for Sunderland factory
Government and water industry taskforce vows to establish a long-term goal to eliminate harm from discharges of sewage that occur during and after periods of heavy rainfall
EXCLUSIVE: UK firm announces string of new sustainability goals it hopes will help consumers connect with nature
If the oil and gas industry is serious about tackling climate change it must take responsibility for helping to fix it, writes the Oil and Gas Authority's Stuart Payne


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10 things that will cost more this fall
Find a new home on the cheap in these 15 best cities to buy foreclosures, as ranked by RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed properties. Cities are ranked by how much sales of bank-owned homes increased in the last three months of 2012. Average sale prices are also included.
Foreclosure sales have hit their lowest level since 2008, but there are still deals to be had in these 15 cities.
Motorists traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the area of Exit 226 may experience slow travel due to Corvettes at Carlisle, being held at the Carlisle fair grounds.


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McLaren is 50 years old1 min read . Updated: 28 Jan 2013, 11:52 AM IST 2013 marks McLaren's 50th birthday. The name is synonymous with excellence on the road and the brand is a reference when it comes to competitions.
2013 marks McLaren's 50th birthday. The name is synonymous with excellence on the road and the brand is a reference when it comes to competitions. At the end of this anniversary year, the car manufacturer aims to have 50 retail outlets throughout the world, in time for the release of its new supercar P1.
The company was created in 1963 by the 1960 Formula One runner-up, New Zealander driver Bruce McLaren. It all started during the Tasman Series before spreading to Can-Am, F1 (from 1966), the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans and each time McLaren was victorious.
Its founder's death in 1970 did not prevent McLaren from reaching success, especially under the leadership of Ron Dennis at the start of the 1980s. He set up McLaren Cars, an upmarket GT car manufacturer. In 1993, its first supercar, the McLaren F1, was a hit.
Since then, the 12C and the 12C Spider have confirmed that McLaren touring cars have exceptional sporting capabilities. In 2012, at the Paris Motor Show, the manufacturer unveiled its new P1 which will go on sale this year as a way of celebrating the brand's landmark anniversary.
McLaren will officially celebrate its 50th birthday on September 2, 2013.


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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Research In Motion Ltd maker of BlackBerry wireless email devices, said on Wednesday it expected to form partnerships with up to 10 Asian carriers over the next 6 months to tap strong demand.
"The market is huge. We have just started," said Norm Lo, vice president for Asia Pacific at RIM, who was in Bangkok to promote its BlackBerry services through unlisted TA Orange PCL, Thailand”s third largest mobile phone operator.
The Canadian firm enters markets worldwide by signing agreements with local wireless carriers, which then offer services using the BlackBerry name and signature PDA-like devices.
It now offers services through 16 partners in 8 Asian countries: India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
RIM is also working with China Mobile to offer BlackBerry services in China, the world”s biggest cellular market, he said.
Its Asia expansion comes amid an aggressive worldwide campaign that saw its subscriber base rise significantly in recent years.
RIM has about 3.65 million subscribers worldwide, more than double the 1.657 million users of a year earlier, and is expected to reach 5 million at the end of the fiscal year ending February 2006, Lo said.
Nick Yoong, senior manager for corporate clients at TA Orange, said he expected to have 6,000-10,000 BlackBerry subscribers at the end of this year and another 200-300 corporate clients.
TA Orange, 83-percent owned by True Corp, Thailand”s largest private fixed line operator, has about 4 million subscribers, or 14 percent of the Thai market.
Market leader Advanced Info Service PCL plans to offer BlackBerry services later this year, the company has said.
RIM stock closed at $64.58 on Nasdaq on Tuesday. In Toronto, the stock fell C$0.48 to C$76.45.
At 0745 GMT, True shares were down 2.6 percent at 7.45 baht in Bangkok, where the overall Thai stock market was 1.3 percent lower.


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As a publicity stunt, the Online 401(k), a low-cost provider of retirement plan services to the very smallest of small businesses, is offering a $200 reward for any lead that results in a sale.
“By instituting the referral incentive, we are hoping to debunk common myths about retirement plans and help Americans at businesses of all sizes effectively save for their retirement,” the company said in a release.
Only about 8% of small businesses with between two and 20 employees offer any type of retirement savings plan to their employees. The Online 401(k) is hoping the new referral program will be an incentive for concerned citizens to direct their friends and family that work for small businesses to its affordable, easy-to-use retirement plan.
“Small businesses are the least likely to offer a 401(k) plan to their employees,” says Chad Parks, CEO and founder of The Online 401(k). “By offering this program, we hope more small businesses will realize there are plans out there designed for them and their employees. Combined with the fact that the government wants to pay us to save, we hope the light bulb will go off.”
The Online 401(k) offers plans that are web-based and flat-fee: The company offers four retirement plan options, which conform to ERISA contribution limits:
- Single(k): Designed for a single proprietor business, it allows a maximum investment of up to $50,000 per individual.
- Starter(k): Serves businesses that have between one and 100 employees. It allows for a maximum savings potential of up to $5,000 per year or $6,000 for employees who are 50 or older.
- Express (k): A low-cost 401(k) for a business with up to 50 employees. There is a maximum investment potential of up to $50,000 per individual.
- Custom(k): Designed for a business with up to 50 employees, there is a maximum investment potential of up to $50,000 per business.
The referral reward program applies to anyone who refers a business to the firm that eventually results in an opened plan. The program comes on the heels of the company’s cross-country road trip in 2012 to publicize the lack of retirement savings in America that will eventually be turned into a documentary called “Broken Eggs Film: The Looming Retirement Crisis in America.”
© 2013 RIJ Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.


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The U.S. central bank now has a stake in the fortunes of a broad swath of corporate America after buying about $1.3 billion of bond funds with debt issued by firms in all walks of the world’s biggest economy, from Apple Inc to a clutch of companies in bankruptcy.
The details on holdings in the Fed’s Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility, one of nearly a dozen emergency programs the Fed has rolled out since March to respond to the coronavirus crisis, were published Friday.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The Fed’s largest investment-grade fund holding – iShares iBoxx US Dollar Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF – contains 30 Apple bonds giving the Fed about $5.7 million of exposure to the maker of iPhones through that ETF alone as of May 19. Apple is also a holding in other ETFs the Fed bought.
The largest of the facility’s junk bond fund holdings – iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF – gives the Fed around $25,000 of exposure to three companies that have filed for bankruptcy since the health crisis erupted, including $14,000 to car rental company Hertz, $10,000 to retailer JC Penney, and $1,500 to department store operator Neiman Marcus.


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Individual investors should never attempt to time the market because, well, no one can time the market. It's much better to buy great companies taking aim at unaddressed opportunities within reach of their technology platforms and sit pat for the long-haul. Smoothing over an industry's pain points is a pretty great way to create value for customers and shareholders alike.
Of course, the stock market doesn't always award innovative companies in a timely manner. While there are good reasons for these stocks to be relatively subdued at the moment, there are also solid reasons that each one could be set to pop. Investors looking to add some excitement to their portfolios should take a closer look at Venator Materials (NYSE:VNTR), Codexis (NASDAQ:CDXS), and Invitae (NYSE:NVTA).
The newest titanium stock
You may have never heard of Venator Materials, but that's because it was only recently spun out of Huntsman Corporation, where it was formerly the titanium dioxide and pigments division. What the heck is titanium dioxide? It's a nanomaterial that provides unique pigment properties to paints, coatings, and even sunscreen (it's the specific ingredient that blocks UV rays).
It's also on the heels of a major breakout thanks to a sharp recovery in selling prices. That's great news for Venator Materials, which is one of the top global producers with 785,000 metric tons of annual manufacturing capacity. Shares haven't done anything too exciting since the IPO, but the stock may be about to pop. Why?
The pro forma results -- those stretching back in previous periods when it was still a part of Huntsman Corporation -- don't demonstrate what it should be able to do as a stand-alone company. Consider that selling, general and administrative expenses decreased 23% in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the year-ago period. Cost of product revenue fell 11% in the same time. It was still readying for its IPO during the first half of 2017, so it's very likely that inefficiency led to unnecessary costs -- and that costs will fall even further in the quarters ahead.
Investors may find additional confidence that Venator Materials will report strong performance in the second half of 2017 by surveying the recent performances of top global titanium dioxide producers such as Chemours Co. and Kronos Worldwide. Both are raking in the profits from their titanium dioxide businesses, reporting triple-digit year-over-year improvements. If the newly IPOed company lands on its feet, it should start making some noise Mr. Market won't be able to ignore.
Behind-the-scenes manufacturing boost
Codexis has quietly grown revenue at double-digit clips each year since 2013, when it transitioned away from a partnership with Royal Dutch Shell to supply enzymes for the production of next-generation ethanol. The company is still making enzymes -- complex molecules that enable chemical production to occur at lower temperatures, pressures, and with fewer reaction steps -- but is now focusing on high-value applications in pharmaceuticals and food ingredients manufacturing.
The company may be relatively small, but it's well-known in the industry. It's one of a handful of companies to win at least three U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Awards for innovative chemical synthesis (the only others in this category are multibillion-dollar chemical and biopharma giants). Customers are certainly catching on -- 15 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world work with Codexis -- and it will only be a matter of time before Wall Street does, too.
Why could the stock be set to pop? Where do we begin?
In the first half of 2017, the company grew product sales to $12.2 million, a 74% increase from the year-ago period. The enzyme business is growing so quickly that Codexis increased its full-year 2017 guidance for product sales 20% from prior expectations, resulting in a new range of $25 million to $27 million. In 2016, total product revenue was just $15 million.
After posting total first-half 2017 revenue of $18.3 million, Codexis is expecting full-year 2017 revenue of $50 million to $53 million, up to an 8.5% increase over last year. The large difference between halves is due to a large milestone payment expected from announcing a new major pharmaceutical partner. Throw in an upcoming award from a patent infringement settlement decided in the company's favor, a new enzyme aimed at next-generation sequencing (DNA) platforms, and the beginning of clinical trials for its own biotherapeutic in 2018, and there are no shortages of catalysts capable of driving the stock higher.
Genetic information for all
One of the biggest pain points in genomics is cost -- and that's where Invitae is planning to make a living. Whereas companies in the past (cough, Myriad Genetics) made a handful of tests, patented them, and then sat idly by collecting rent, Invitae has designed low-cost, high-quality genetic tests for all relevant human diseases. Its business strategy is driven by volumes, not overcharging patients.
So far, so good. In the second quarter of 2017, revenue grew 155%, test volumes grew 144%, cost per sample decreased 31%, and operating expenses grew just 33% compared to the year-ago period. To be fair, growing the business has been expensive, resulting in annual cash burn of about $80 million. Management has funded growth with newly issued shares, and dilution has sapped returns in the last three years.
But dilution should be less of a risk in the next two years. Invitae expects to post full-year 2017 revenue of $55 million to $65 million, more than double that achieved last year. However, that doesn't account for the recent acquisitions of GoodStart Genetics and CombiMatrix, which combined for $17 million in gross profit last year. The combined trifecta would deliver up to $105 million in revenue and up to $40 million in gross profit in 2017.
Although operating loss and net loss would remain the same as before the acquisition for the combined company in 2017, the growth and synergies from integration could provide a big boost to Invitae sooner than Wall Street expects. Depending on growth in 2018, investors should expect net losses to begin shrinking -- perhaps in a big way. That could be all it takes for this high-growth stock to pop in the next few quarters.
What does it mean for investors?
Whether or not these stocks pop in the next few quarters, investors have ample reasons to be pretty optimistic about the long-term trajectory of each business. Venator Materials should climb back to healthy margins after shedding the inefficiencies from operating within a larger company. Growth at Codexis should allow it to be profitable in the next few years -- and at gross margins exceeding 40%, that could be dangerous. Meanwhile, Invitae has taken aggressive steps to grow its network of customers and expand into biopharma partnerships now, so that it can become a cash cow in the future. Each stock should at least be on your watchlist.


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Zell Founders Fund Invests $100K in Ross Alum’s Plant-Based Jerky Company
Trying to eat healthy on the go can be a challenge, especially for a vegan. A Ross alum and a fellow University of Michigan School of Public Health alum have come up with a tasty new snack option, which just attracted a $100,000 investment by the Zell Lurie Founders Fund.
Allyson Stewart, MBA ‘17, and Bridget Henley, MPH ‘17, started a new company called MINDWELL that specializes in producing high-protein, plant-based, vegan jerky products. They are gluten-free and contain no artificial flavors or ingredients.
MINDWELL products are currently available in the Midwest in Plum Market, Dollop Coffee, and in Chicago Equinox locations at Wellness Grub cafes. The company is growing rapidly and has plans to launch in a large regional grocery chain this fall.
"In addition to MINDWELL's impressive management team, the Founders Fund was drawn to this deal because of the growing market for healthy foods," said Wiles Kase, MBA '18, who co-led the Founders Fund due diligence team for this deal with Scott Collins, MBA '18. "MINDWELL's key differentiators — plant-based, high-protein, and convenient — are the drivers that are shaping many new food brands, and ones that legacy players in the space are trying to crack the code on. MINDWELL is making some really exciting progress, and we have every confidence that Allyson and Bridget will grow the company into a force to be reckoned with."
The Zell Lurie Founders Fund is a $10 million seed fund that seeks out extraordinary Michigan Ross students and recent alumni whose ventures need funding to move from idea to profitability, and is led by the students who represent the top talent from the Zell Lurie Institute’s other established student-led funds.


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Sal’s Famous CheeseSteak moved last year into a new home in Justice after 10 years at 78th Street and Cicero Avenue near Ford City Mall.
“The rent was getting too high and the landlord didn’t want to negotiate,” said Salim Bal, who decided to move the restaurant closer to home.
“I didn’t want to sign another 10-year lease with yearly rent increases,” Bal said. “I have lived in the area all my life so I decided to move here.”
He closed the shop and reopened at 8025 W. 79th St. in the shopping center at the corner of 79th Street and Roberts Road in Justice.
Sal’s is a family affair.
“It’s me, my wife and the kids,” he said.
He said the move has been good for business.
“Everything on the menu is the same and even a little cheaper because the price of doing business here is cheaper than in Chicago,” Bal said.
Bal said the new shop is about 960 square feet and has a front dining room that has six tables and another six high stools.
He said the shop’s specialty is a Philly cheesesteak but its extensive menu also includes hot dogs, hamburgers, gyros, grilled chicken and salads.
Bal said he also offers carryout and he will deliver within two miles of the plaza.
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
For information, call 708-728-0725 or visit the website at www.salsfamouscheesesteak.com.
Summit OKs new business
Summit trustees this week approved a business license for Different Mobile, which will do business as a Boost wireless retail/payment center. The office will be located at 7520 W. 63rd St.
Staples to close store
Office supply store chain Staples will close its Tinley Park store on Saturday, at 16189 S. Harlem Ave. in the Tinley Park Plaza.
The store is holding a clearance sale until it closes.
The retailer closed more than 125 stores in 2014 and will have shuttered at least 225 by the end of this year.
A store employee said Staples locations in Orland Park and Frankfort would be staying open.
The closings are part of a pattern of consolidations in the office supply business as stores no longer need as much floor space to sell the supplies and electronics that schools and businesses purchase.
Office Depot, which merged in 2013 with OfficeMax, is in the process of closing 400 stores in the United States.
If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at email@example.com.
You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com.


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The Boston Harbor Shipyard location will remain open, as will the company’s catering operations.
“[I]t is somewhat bittersweet to announce that we have sold our building on A street and will not be returning to our original home,” owner Sam Jackson wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “We cannot express our thanks and appreciation enough to all the incredible customers that we had over the past 8 years. Same for all the wonderful staff that helped make our little pie shop what it was. Southie certainly is a lot different to when we swung the doors open in 2010 and we are forever grateful for the opportunities that little shop allowed for us, including our expansion to the shipyard.”
Jackson and his business partners bought the South Boston building and launched the shop eight years ago, selling meat and vegetable pies along with sausage rolls and salads. The concept took off, and they opened a second (and decidedly larger) location at the East Boston Shipyard in 2012.
The move to sell the Southie building was a business decision, Jackson told Boston magazine.
“I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us,” he said. “We owned the building, we sold the building. It’s nice to go out on our own terms.”
According to the publication, the focus of KO Catering and Pies is now on the catering operation and the Shipyard outpost, which sits in a growing neighborhood that is also home to the new ICA Watershed museum. The Shipyard KO offers an expanded menu — fish and chips, spicy shrimp, chicken schnitzel — and a patio for eating Aussie pies al fresco.
KO Catering and Pies at the Shipyard, 256 Marginal St., Building 16; Wednesdays–Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.; kocateringandpies.com


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Nashville-based Red Pebbles Hospitality has certainly never been afraid to pivot in the face of changing diner preferences. They've moved restaurants to new locations, embraced national delivery through Goldbelly, quickly flipped shuttered restaurants to new concepts and basically stayed nimble over the past few years.
The group recently announced a total menu overhaul at its downtown three-meal restaurant in the Hyatt Centric Hotel, Ella’s on 2nd, switching to a Californian-inspired Italian offering. Now, they've converted their former Blue Stripes Cacao Shop location at 335 11th Ave. S. in the Gulch into a new, equally sweet concept.
The Nashville Sundae Club is described as a combination breakfast location and sweets shop that will serve rich Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream by the scoop or as part of delicious sundaes and shakes. There are also cocktails, wine and beer. Or you can combine the ice cream with the booze as part of a menu of adult milkshakes.
It’s only been open for a few weeks, but as the weather warms up, I can see Nashville Sundae Club becoming a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, basically anyone with a sweet tooth. The fact that it’s so close to the Scene’s offices could prove quite dangerous!
The Nashville Sundae Club is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.


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Manchester based Avail Technologies is revolutionising the logistics industry and largely reducing their client’s driver agency costs. This has come at a much-needed time as the logistics industry has been hit by 40% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Avail’s CEO Erin Short stated: “The temporary employment industry is currently dominated by the outdated traditional agency model where hauliers are still employing agencies to contract HGV drivers and paying over the odds, and that’s not right we offer everything […]
The need for drivers to undergo HGV driver medicals is to be suspended – possibly for a year – as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, according to a letter sent by MP Robert Buckland to a constituent.
Tarmac has been forced to suspend the roll out of its new night shift pay rate, just days after its launch, following angry opposition from its partner hauliers.
Lymm Truckwash is celebrating 55 years in business by hosting a Driver Day event in April, with goodie bags, cakes and a charity raffle.


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China posted a trade surplus of $24.97 billion for August, up from $18.8 billion a year earlier,
the customs administration said on Tuesday.
It said exports grew 22.7% from a year earlier, with imports up 20.1%.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a surplus of $26.0 billion. They had projected annual export growth of 25%, with imports up 21.8%.
The surplus was up from $24.4 billion in July but below June's record high of $26.9 billion.
The rolling 12-month surplus increased to $245.2 billion from $239 billion in July and $229.15 billion in June.
For the first eight months the surplus came to $161.76 billion.


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Hackers will be able to silently control, Siri and Google Now, the digital personal assistants of Apple and Google, respectively. A team of researchers from ANSSI, a French government agency focused on information security, discovered that they can use radio waves to trigger silently voice commands and control any Android phone with Google Now and iPhone with Siri as long as a headphone with microphone is plugged into the devices.
The researchers found that Google Now and Siri listen and respond to any voice, not just the owner of the device. According to them, they can control the personal assistants from a distance of 16 feet.
Gates Capital Management's ECF Value Funds have a fantastic track record. The funds (full-name Excess Cash Flow Value Funds), which invest in an event-driven equity and credit strategy Read More
The researchers used the cord of the headphone as an antenna and utilized its wire to converted electromagnetic waves into electrical signals, which appeared to the operating system as an audio that coming from the device’s microphone.
Critical security impacts
According to the researchers, a hacker can use a radio attack and command Google Now or Siri to make calls and send text messages. Hackers can use the devices to eavesdrop, send the phone’s browser to a malware site, send spam and phishing messages through email or social network sites.
In a paper published bu the IEEE, French researchers, José Lopes Esteves and Chaouki Kasmi wrote, “The possibility of inducing parasitic signals on the audio front-end of voice-command-capable devices could raise critical security impacts.”
Vincent Strubel, the director of the research group at ANSSI, said, “The sky is the limit here. Everything you can do through the voice interface you can do remotely and discreetly through electromagnetic waves.”
“You could imagine a bar or an airport where there are lots of people,” says Strubel. “Sending out some electromagnetic waves could cause a lot of smartphones to call a paid number and generate cash,” added Strubel
Silent voice command hack on Google Now, Siri has serious limitations
Based on the researchers’ study, the silent voice command hack on Google Now and Siri has serious limitations.
Hackers can only send radio waves to control the personal assistants silently when microphone-enabled headphones or earphones plugged into the Android phone or iPhone.
Additionally, attentive users will probably notice that their phones are receiving mysterious voice command and would automatically cancel it.
The Google now on most Android phone are not enabled from the lock screen and it is set to respond only to commands when it recognizes the voice of the users. However, Siri is enabled by default on the iPhone’s lock screen and it has no voice identity feature.
Apple iMac, Magic wireless accesories
Meanwhile, Apple updated its entire iMac family. The tech giant said its 21.5-inch iMac sports a stunning Retina 4K display while the 27-inch iMac is equipped with Retina 5K display. The new iMacs are also integrated with powerful processors and graphics, two thunderbolts two ports, and new storage options.
Apple also introduced a new lineup of wireless accessories including the all-new Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2. According to the tech giant, its Magic devices have been redesigned and integrated with rechargeable batteries to eliminate the need for disposable batteries.
Phillip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Apple said, “From the first iMac to today, the spirit of iMac has never wavered — deliver the ultimate desktop experience with the latest technologies, gorgeous displays, and cutting-edge designs.”
Schiller added, “These are the most stunning iMacs we’ve ever made. With our gorgeous new Retina displays, more powerful processors and graphics and all-new Magic accessories, the new iMac continues to redefine the ultimate desktop experience.”


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Employees from the nation’s two largest TV shopping networks yesterday lodged a protest with the National Communications Commission (NCC), calling on the media regulator to properly review the application from multiple service operator Kbro Co to replace the TV shopping channels.
Kbro had applied to replace the channels of Eastern Home Shopping and Leisure Co (EHS, 東森得易購) with those of U-Life (森森百貨), but NCC approval is necessary for the deal to go ahead.
Representatives from U-Life and EHS both submitted petitions to the NCC as the commission was scheduled to continue its review of Kbro’s application yesterday morning.
Wearing face masks, 60 U-Life employees held up placards demanding that the NCC refuse to hand out special favor or preferential treatment to EHS.
The NCC’s failure to exercise its administrative authority to review the case was an indication of administrative discretion, U-Life said.
U-Life general manager Li Deng-ke (李登科) said the Fair Trade Commission and consumer protection bureaus in eight local governments had all said that Kbro’s application to replace EHS with U-Life was a business transaction and did not violate the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法) or any related regulations. However, the NCC has delayed its ruling on the case.
“Over the past seven months, EHS has not had a contract with Kbro and not paid any channel rental fee,” Li said. “U-Life has a contract and is obligated to pay a daily rental fee of NT$1 million in rent to Kbro. As a result, accumulated financial losses have topped NT$200 million (US$6.7 million), which threatens the jobs of 800 U-Life employees.”
U-Life also said that the NCC spent only 20 days reviewing the application of the earlier MSO Taiwan Broadband Communication (TBC) proposal to replace U-Life with EHS, but had taken 104 days to review Kbro’s application to replace EHS with U-Life and still had not made a decision.
EHS representative Chang Chi-hua (張起華) said the company had yet to receive any official response from local consumer protection bureaus, adding that the NCC’s -ruling would affect EHS’ operations.
Meanwhile, Kbro chairman James Cheng (鄭俊卿) briefed the NCC yesterday on how the company would handle the change in channel lineup and protect consumer interests.
NCC acting spokesperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said the commission had decided to review the case at a later date, because commissioners had asked for more information from Kbro on how it would ensure any change in channel lineup was handled fairly.
NCC member Huang Chin-yi (黃金益) said he did not think the case could reasonably be compared to that of TBC.
Kbro filed the application to change the channel lineup after the commission reviewed the cable service’s monthly subscription fee and the number of channels included in the service, the former being dependant on the latter.
The proposed change filed by Kbro, including the home shopping channels and others, accounts for 22 percent of the channels included in its cable service.
TBC has about 690,000 subscribers, whereas Kbro has 1.1 million subscribers, Huang said.


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September 12, 2019
The Disney+ app has been released on Google Play with exclusive access for the Netherlands for a free trial through Nov. 12, according to a report from Droid Life.
The layout of the service includes home, search, download and account tabs at the bottom, according to the website, with recommendations and the ability to filter by category, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.
The service also allows users to pick favorite Disney characters to influence results, according to the report.
The app offers unlimited access to classics, unlimited downloads, and up to seven profiles and four concurrent streams, according to the report.
Disney+ will formally launch Nov. 12 at $6.99 a month ($69.99 for a year). A special offer to D23 members (Disney’s fan club) who ordered a three-year subscription, let them receive the third year free, a savings of 33% or $23 per year for an effective monthly rate below $4.


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It was the part of the beauty pageant that all the lads looked forward to.
But after 60 years the swimwear round in the Miss England contest is being axed.
Instead of hitting the catwalk in revealing bikinis, the girls will model designer sportswear.
It's the idea of army lance corporal Katrina Hodge, the 2009 winner, who says Miss England is more about being a "good all-round person" than a flawless pin-up.
Katrina, 23, said: "In a world of size zero models it's not a particularly good image to give out to girls that you've got to be stick thin.
I met girls who were all dieting and worrying about the bikini round and I just thought it's not a good image for girls to have."
Miss England celebrates its 60th anniversary in August but bikinis will be missing for the first time.
Miss England director Angie Beasley said: "In the 50s, the entire competition was in swimwear and called a bathing beauty pageant.
"It's that idea we are trying to get away from - the girls have to be talented. There'll be a sports round where they engage in physical activities, and an eco section where they wear recycled clothes to show women can be beautiful in things other than designer labels."
The winner will go on to represent England at Miss World in Vietnam in November.


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All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra wins top honor at the 2021 Texas Truck Rodeo
PLANO, Texas (November 3, 2020) – Toyota’s all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra was awarded the title “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) at the annual Texas Truck Rodeo event.
Built on a new fully boxed chassis and equipped with a new multilink rear suspension, the Tundra offers impressive capability with its maximum tow rating of 12,000 pounds and a max payload of 1,940 pounds. Featuring two new i-Force powertrains – the i-FORCE 3.5L twin-turbo V6 engine and available i-FORCE MAX 3.5L twin-turbo V6 hybrid – the Tundra not only significantly improves performance but both powertrains improve efficiency as well. Maybe the most surprising aspect of the hybrid i-FORCE MAX powertrain is that it is the most powerful of the options, producing 437 hp @ 5,200 rpm and a whopping 583 lb.-ft. of torque and an impressively low 2,400 rpm.
“The 2022 Toyota Tundra is truly an all-new truck inside and out, and we’re honored that TAWA recognized all the great features the Tundra offers,” said Lisa Materazzo, group vice president – Toyota Marketing. “The Tundra is really an American story through and through, as it is not only assembled at our manufacturing plant in San Antonio, but it was designed and developed in California and Michigan, its engines are built in Alabama and the multimedia system was developed by our Connected Technology team in Plano.
Born from invincible, the 2022 Tundra arrives in December 2021 with a host of new features to accompany the new chassis and powertrains. Those looking to get off the beaten path will appreciate the off-road technology that includes the available Multi-Terrain Select (MTS), Crawl Control (CRAWL) and selectable rear locker. The all-new multimedia system offers a user-friendly experience with new voice activated technology or via the massive 14-inch touchscreen.
Additionally, the 2022 Tundra offers drivers groundbreaking towing technology. Using sensors and cameras, Tundra’s driver assistance technology helps drivers easily connect a trailer and Straight Path Assist helps keep it in a straight line when backing up. Additional new interior features include a panoramic moonroof, a tailored cabin, the available fan-favorite power vertical rear window and an available 12.3-inch digital instrument panel for the driver.
This year’s Texas Truck Rodeo brought together 44 journalists to evaluate automakers’ latest trucks and SUVs on an off-road course in the Texas Hill Country near Austin. Vehicles from the world’s top manufacturers were evaluated on interior, exterior, value, performance and personal appeal. The Tundra ran the rugged course, leaving its competitors trailing in the competition.
“The Texas Auto Writers Association Truck of Texas award is a prestigious honor, and there’s no doubt the 2022 Toyota Tundra roared in with the intention to impress,” said TAWA president Kristin Shaw. “TAWA journalists had the privilege of driving the brand-new Tundra on- and off-road at the same time as the national launch. By the end of the Texas Truck Rodeo, our members’ votes were loud and clear: the 2022 Tundra is a winner.”
TAWA is a Texas-based nonprofit association for automotive journalists promoting professionalism and quality in journalism for more than two decades. TAWA has grown to become one of the most influential and recognized automotive journalist associates in the U.S. The group produces two annual events – Texas Auto Roundup and Texas Truck Rodeo – that allow members to experience vehicles from various manufacturers in one place, at one time.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.


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Premier Li Keqiang met visiting Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on March 31 in Beijing.
Hailing the mutual political trust, Premier Li said China and Serbia have been deepening pragmatic cooperation in different fields.
The two countries also reached consensus on various issues raised during bilateral talks held between President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on March 30.
Supporting Serbia’s choice of development path, China is willing to boost the comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual respect and equal cooperation so as to jointly promote peace and prosperity in two countries and the region, Premier Li said.
He pointed out that bilateral cooperation on infrastructure construction, production capacity and industry development has made new breakthroughs with increased growth in China-Serbia trade and investment.
He also called on the two sides to further tap the potential of cooperative opportunities, enhancing cooperation within the “16+1” cooperation mechanism, and abide by the market principle and business framework in an effort to achieve sustainable development with win-win results.
The “16+1” refers to China and the 16 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC).
China is ready to advance big cooperative projects such as the Serbia-Hungary railway and beef up cooperation in finance, customs, culture, tourism and aerospace to further expand bilateral trade and reinforce friendship between people of the two countries, said Premier Li
He hoped both sides will enhance coordination and communication under the cooperation mechanism framework of “16+1”.
Nikoli said Serbia has a friendly relationship with China, and is the first Central and Eastern European country to establish a comprehensive partnership with China.
(Updated: Mar 31,2017 8:23 PM english.gov.cn)


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– A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn and Ipsos revealed that B2B businesses and marketing leaders are focusing on customer experience to drive growth.
– The survey found that B2B leaders believe customer experience directly impacts revenue growth and market share.
– The top strategies identified by B2B leaders to enhance customer experience include personalization, improved data management, and investing in technology.
Explaining the Content:
LinkedIn and Ipsos recently conducted a global survey of B2B business and marketing leaders to understand their focus on customer experience and its impact on growth. The survey revealed that customer experience has become a priority for these leaders, as they recognize its potential to drive revenue growth and gain market share.
According to the survey, 84% of B2B leaders believe that delivering exceptional customer experiences is crucial for achieving revenue growth and building market share. This highlights the growing importance of customer-centric strategies in the B2B sector.
The survey also identified the top strategies that B2B leaders are adopting to enhance customer experience. Personalization emerged as a key focus area, with 68% of B2B leaders considering it as a critical factor for success. The ability to tailor experiences to individual customers’ needs helps in building stronger relationships and increasing customer satisfaction.
Improved data management was another priority for B2B leaders, with 63% of respondents stating its importance. Effective data management enables businesses to gain insights into customer preferences, behavior, and pain points. This data can then be utilized to create personalized experiences and provide relevant solutions, leading to customer loyalty and increased revenue.
Investing in technology was also highlighted as a key strategy to enhance customer experience. According to the survey, 59% of B2B leaders are planning to invest in new technologies to improve their customer experience efforts. This includes the adoption of AI-powered tools, automation, and analytics platforms to streamline processes and deliver personalized experiences at scale.
In summary, the survey conducted by LinkedIn and Ipsos reveals the increasing focus of B2B business and marketing leaders on customer experience. They recognize its direct impact on revenue growth and market share. Strategies such as personalization, improved data management, and investing in technology are being prioritized to create exceptional customer experiences.
B2B leaders have finally realized that enhancing customer experience is not just a luxury but a necessity for driving growth. Personalization, improved data management, and technology investments are key drivers in this endeavor. It’s no longer just about the product or service, but also about creating memorable experiences that keep customers coming back for more. Kudos to these leaders for recognizing the value of customer-centricity and taking steps to deliver exceptional experiences.
Original article: https://customerthink.com/research-round-up-linkedin-ipsos-survey-examines-the-state-of-b2b-marketing/
*AI wrote this content and created the featured image; if you want AI to create content for your website, get in touch.


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In the past 12 years, Airbnb hosts have earned $150 billion worldwide, with U.S. hosts earning a little less than half of the global total. Today’s typical Airbnb host in the U.S. earns $13,800, an increase of 85-percent over 2019.
To maximize rental income, consider listing a property on Airbnb during peak travel periods. Even a couple of rentals a year, during these dates, allows property owners to take advantage of this growing side hustle.
U.S. Hosts, earned more than $112 million on Thanksgiving night rentals. Top cities for Thanksgiving Airbnb rentals include Orlando’s Kissimmee, San Diego, The Smoky Mountains’ Sevierville, Los Angeles, New York City, and Austin.


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Vizit of Kassbohrer management (Austria)
The negotiations between LLC “Predpriyatiye”Stroykomplekt” and the company Kassbohrer (Austria) took place on the 21st of February 2012 . Kassbohrer is one of the leaders in the production of car transporters. The delegation from the Austrian delegation included Viktor Kuznecov – general director and Yuri Tregubov – executive director of the company.
During the meeting parties discussed the questions of cooperation and technical equipment of automobile hub of LLC “Predpriyatiye”Stroykomplekt”.
This year the automobile hub has begun to work at the territory of the company with the approval and support of the Government of Sverdlovsk region.
For the realization of this project LLC “Predpriyatiye”Stroykomplekt” concluded contracts with the owners of railway coach-car transporters, installed certificated equipment for unloading of cars from the coaches, hired car transporters for delivery of cars to the dealers.
The territory for 500 units of cars is equipped with lighting, videotaping, day-and-night security service.
Throughput capacity of the Automobile hub is 4000 cars a month.


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By Yasmeen Abutaleb
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc launched a free version of its music streaming service on Tuesday, as it sought to upstage the debut of Apple Inc’s rival service next week.
Google Play Music has offered a $9.99 per month subscription service for two years but Tuesday’s launch is the first free version of the streaming service. It is available online and will be available onAndroid and iOS by the end of the week, Elias Roman, Google product manager, said.
Apple said earlier this month it would launch a music streaming service on June 30 for $9.99 per month along with a $14.99 per month family plan, with a free three-month trial.
As with other streaming services, such as Spotify and Rhapsody, Google Play Music curates playlists. Users can tailor playlists based on genre, artist or even activity, such as hosting a pool party or “having fun at work.”
“We believe this is a play that will expose a lot of people to the service,” Roman said in an interview.
Unlike Google’s subscription music service, the free service will carry ads, be unavailable offline and exclude certain songs.
Roman said millions of people look at Google Play Music each month but are not ready to pay for a subscription. By offering a free version of the service, he said, the search engine hopes more people will be compelled to pay for an upgraded version.
“It’s a smart time to do it with all the attention around Apple,” Cohen said. “If they did it absent the Apple service, it wouldn’t be the same story.”
Google declined to say how many subscribers it has but said they more than doubled in 2014 from the previous year. But rivals Pandora, Spotify and Beats Music had far more mobile downloads than Google Play Music in 2014, according to data from analytics firm App Annie.
(Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb)


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May 16, 2017
Aircharge to power up Clerkenwell Design Week 2017, 23-25 May 2017, London.
Following a successful event last year, Aircharge returns to Clerkenwell Design Week from the 23rd to 25th May 2017. Now in its 8th year, the award-winning CDW has firmly established itself as one of the leading independent design festivals in the UK. Look out for our unique wireless charging tables in and around venues and events or visit our showroom at The Gallery in the heart of Clerkenwell to learn more about products and solutions.
CHECK THE DIARY OF THE EVENT HERE


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Warren Hogan from the ANZ Bank comments on the financial markets.
TranscriptALI MOORE: To find out if financial markets are as relaxed as the Treasurer, I spoke to Warren Hogan at ANZ shortly before going to air. Warren Hogan, thanks for talking to us. Our market's clearly comfortable with the wages numbers?
WARREN HOGAN: Yeah, wages rose 1.1% in the quarter and are up around 4.1% over the last year. That was a little bit higher than market expectations but it's about the same rate that they've been growing at for the last couple of years. So there is no clear signs of an upward pressure on wages. Wages are high, they're about as high as the RBA would be happy with, but we're not getting an acceleration and hence we're not really concerned that this is going to push inflation and interest rates up. So the market took today's number in its stride quite well.
ALI MOORE: The big fall in consumer sentiment, that didn't dampen investor enthusiasm too much?
WARREN HOGAN: Yeah, that was the big news of the day. Consumer sentiment fell 16.2% in the month of August, survey taken over the past weekend, and that really reflects a strong reaction to the August interest rate hike which we did not get back in May. It's the second biggest fall on record and takes consumer sentiment to a level that's consistent with quite soft growth and rising unemployment. Now, there was a lot of things going on last week. There was the terrorist plot in the UK, there was the continued hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, but if this level of consumer sentiment is sustained, that's going to be a concern, and I think the market did well but it did weigh on the market through the day.
ALI MOORE: So if it hadn't been for that consumer sentiment survey, do you think that given what Wall Street did last night, we would've had a far bigger gain?
WARREN HOGAN: Oh, most certainly. The Australian market was up half a per cent today - it rose 25 points to 4,962 - and the US market was up 1.4. Indeed, in the Asian time zone today Tokyo was up 1.6, Hong Kong was up 1, so clearly that consumer sentiment result weighed on the market, but that being said, we did have an up day. So it was a good result.
ALI MOORE: If you look at that figure, though, if you go back to last year and March, there was a rate rise then, there was a big dip in consumer sentiment but it bounced back. One swallow doesn't make a summer?
WARREN HOGAN: That's exactly right with this sort of a survey. We had a big fall last March, it actually, I think, gave the Reserve Bank a bit of a fright and obviously we didn't get any more interest rate increases after that, but you know, if we don't get that bounce-back, then it's going to send a very strong message, but for the time being, I think we have to think that this is a bit of an outlier in the short term and we will get some sort of a bounce-back next month.
ALI MOORE: Warren Hogan, thanks for bringing us up to date.
WARREN HOGAN: Thanks, Ali.


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The TI 9 Battle Pass is already smashing records only a few hours after its release.
Just a few hours after its release, the Battle Pass for this years’ TI has managed to accumulate a record-breaking prize pool.
The current prize pool is sitting is now over $6,000,000. According to sources, this is the highest Day 1 total the prize pool has reached in TI history. If it continues to grow like this, TI 9 will definitely be able to surpass last years’ prize pool.
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) May 8, 2019
Getting into the action
Players have three options if they want to purchase the Battle Pass. They can purchase the standard version at $9.99. Additionally, if players want to instantly level their Battle Pass to level 50 or 100, that have the option of spending $29.35 or $44.99, respectively. Valve adds 25% if the profits from the Battle Pass directly to the prize pool of TI 9. Imagine how much they could raise for the TI prize pool if they increased the percentage!


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Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has failed to restrict on the misleading advertisement even in those cases where the ads are violating the regulations. As an example the regulations states doctors cannot endorse any product. One can see the advertisement of Sensodyne and Colgate which are advertising by getting their products endorsed by Doctors.
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Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has failed to address the menace of misleading advertisements, sponsored programmes , the advertisement duration in the content in the entertainment programmes, news, no code of conduct for even enkars shouting on the debates with bad language etc.


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White House Black Market (WHBM) and Dress for Success Worldwide have united to form an international partnership and campaign to launch a charitable initiative to collect black pants for women in need. The campaign is a testament to White House Black Market and the WHBM customer’s commitment to making a difference in women’s lives. Starting August 1st through September 21st, 2014, the company will accept both new and gently worn black pants at all White House Black Market boutiques across the country and Canada to be donated to Dress for Success local affiliates.
Dress for Success was founded in 1997 and has expanded to more than 135 cities in 16 countries and is uniquely positioned as a global leader in women’s employment issues. Dress for Success SW Florida opened its doors in the year 2010 with the support of White House Black Market providing the first monetary donation of $10,000 and to this day WHBM supports the SW Florida affiliate with both monetary and in-kind donations.
“We were blessed in 2010 when White House Black Market Brand President Donna Noce accepted the position as Founding Board President,” said Barbara Dell, Founder and Executive Director of Dress for Success SW Florida. “This relationship has been an amazing gift for Dress for Success not just regionally, but now nationally as well.”
As a result of the partnership between White House Black Market and Dress for Success SW Florida, an international launch is taking place for the betterment of women throughout the US and Canada. There are several components including clothing drop off (black pants), parties and fundraisers taking place at all WHBM stores.
“In our lives and in our business, we are constantly touched by the individual power of women. That’s why we’re so excited about our international partnership with Dress for Success,” said Donna Noce, White House Black Market Brand President. “Our black pant donation program enables us to give back to women in the communities in which we live and work. Through everything, our passion has always been to make women feel beautiful.”
Due to the evolution of the partnership with WHBM and Dress for Success, the SW Florida affiliate will receive a $10,000 check for partnering WHBM and Dress for Success Worldwide.
“We would like to apply some of the funding toward upgrading our boutique and begin workshop sessions in retail training to fill a void in Lee and Collier counties. We are thrilled to say Hodges University is partnering with us and we are now in the planning stages so that we can make this a reality and launch it in January 2015″ said Barbara Dell.
White House Black Market will collect monetary donations for Dress for Success affiliates at the registers for the entire month of August at all WHBM locations in the US and Canada.
On August 21st, WHBM will donate 10% of net proceeds for the day to Dress for Success affiliates, up to $100,000. White House Black Market will also offer 50% off the highest priced item with a purchase of $150 or more (excluding leather and boots). From 5pm-9pm on that same day, Dress for Success SW Florida will also hold a fundraising shopping event that will take place at the four WHBM boutiques in the area; Bell Tower Shops, Coconut Point, Waterside Shops and downtown Naples. There will be refreshments, raffles and discounts at each store. The funds from the shopping events will also go to women find and maintain employment. They also help them achieve health and wellness, as well as self-defined financial and professional success. “The black pant is the great equalizer. No matter if you’re a seasoned CEO or just getting your career started, the right pair of black pants makes every woman look strong, confident and ready to take the workforce by storm,” said Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide. “We’re grateful to White House Black Market for helping us to provide even more of our women with that feeling as they progress along their professional paths.”
About Dress for Success:
Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to more than 135 cities in 16 countries. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 775,000 women work towards self-sufficiency. Visit www.dressforsuccess.org to learn more.
About Dress for Success SW Florida:
Dress for Success SW Florida opened its doors in 2010 and serves both Lee and Collier counties. Dress for Success SW Florida provides professional attire and workshops for disadvantaged women who are unemployed, employed (job retention). Additionally, Dress for Success SW Florida offers entrepreneurial workshops for women who are interested in starting a business. The retail training classes to be held in 2015 will be held at the Dress for Success Employment Center in Fort Myers and Hodges University in Naples. For more information, contact Dress for Success SW Florida Suite 153, Fort Myers, FL 33907 in the Pinebrook Plaza, email firstname.lastname@example.org, call 239-689-4992 or visit www.DressForSuccess.org/swflorida.
About White House Black Market:
White House Black Market offers fashionable and sophisticated clothing and accessory items, from everyday basics, to wear-to-work, to elegant fashion, primarily in black and white and related shades with seasonal color splashes.
White House Black Market currently operated more than 400 boutiques and over 50 outlets across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. WHBM publishes a monthly catalog highlighting its latest fashions and connects with customers at www.whbm.com.


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NEW DELHI: The ongoing Rs 10,000-crore tax dispute between the Indian government and Nokia
will not have any bearing on sales of Nokia brand phones through new entity HMD Global, Indian Cellular Association National President Pankaj Mohindroo today said.
"Tax demand is an independent issue which the government of India and Nokia are trying to resolve amicably. It will not have any impact on sales of Nokia phones in India. A separate entity HMD Global has plans to sell Nokia brand phones," Mohindroo told PTI.
The income tax department has tentatively raised a Rs 10,000-crore demand from Nokia, which the company has contested.
In the latest development, US technology major Microsoft
, the owner of Nokia's mobile device business, has agreed to sell the latter's branding rights to Finnish firm HMD Global and contract manufacturer Foxconn
for USD 350 million.
Microsoft, which kept Nokia brand to only feature phones while selling smartphones under Lumia
, acquired Nokia device business for USD 7.2 billion and the deal was closed in April 2014.
HMD intends to invest over USD 500 million over the next three years to support the global marketing of Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets, funded via its investors and profits from the acquired feature phone business.
In a separate agreement, Nokia Technologies will grant HMD Global Oy (HMD), a newly-founded company based in Finland, the exclusive global licence to create Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets for the next 10 years.
Under the pact, Nokia Technologies will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of Nokia-branded mobile products, covering both the brand and the intellectual property rights.
As part of the deal between Microsoft and FIH Mobile, the latter will acquire Microsoft Mobile Vietnam, the company's Hanoi manufacturing facility. Foxconn has been a vendor for Nokia and also produced Nokia N1 tablets in a licensing agreement with Nokia Technologies.
"Nokia is very strong brand in feature phone segment. Foxconn is already making Nokia feature phones in India. With the kind of capacity they have in India and Vietnam, Nokia phones exports can also be started from here. Foxconn's lots of capacity in India are unutilised," Mohindroo said.
HMD and Nokia Technologies have signed the pact with FIH to establish a collaboration framework to support the building of a global business for Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets.
"With this deal, I also don't see any impact on Microsoft's mobile phone business. It is there strategy to sell Windows
based phones which they are continuing to do so through Lumia smartphones," Mohindroo said.
Post closure of this deal between Microsoft, FIH and HMD, some 4,500 employees will move to or have the opportunity to join FIH Mobile or HMD Global Oy subject to compliance with local laws.
Microsoft will continue to develop Windows 10 Mobile and support Lumia phones such as Lumia 650, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, and phones from OEM partners like Acer, Alcatel, HP
, Trinity and VAIO.


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R&D is the heart of the supplier’s drive to meet future technology demands by auto makers, executives tell analysts. The company already holds more than 6,000 patents but is investing $1.1 billion into projects at its 15 major technical centers.
Supplier positioning itself for increasing connectivity demands by Generation Y.
NEW YORK –Automotive tells financial analysts here that new business orders are soaring.
Kevin Clark, chief financial officer, says the supplier has booked $60 billion in new business over the past three years.
Focusing on its role as a premium global automotive supplier,is especially active in electronics. “We deliver three computers a second and 1 billion lines of software per day,” says Jeffrey Owens, senior vice president and chief technology officer.
The company says it is well-positioned to meet the demands of today's vehicles, which have anywhere from 35 to 50 computers to control various systems.
Research and development is the heart of Delphi's drive to meet future technology demands by auto makers, senior executives tell analysts. The company already holds more than 6,000 patents but is investing $1.1 billion into R&D projects at its 15 major technical centers.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is fuel economy, because no one knows how the industry will meet the 54.5 mpg (4.3 L/100 km) fleet standard that will be required by 2025. Owens says hybrids and some level of electrification will be needed, but notes electric vehicles will see only minor market penetration in the next 10 years.
Other changes will include vehicle-mass reduction. Some of that can be achieved by substituting aluminum wires for copper, he says. Today's vehicles have one mile (1.6 km) of wiring and 300 connectors. Future vehicles will have 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of wiring, and that's a good reason for using aluminum instead of copper.
Delphi also is positioning itself for the increasing connectivity demands Generation Y buyers crave and for which they are willing to pay. The company forecasts 50% of all vehicles will have advanced wireless connectivity by 2020.
The supplier has transitioned from a high-cost manufacturer to one with a leading competitive position, officials say. About 91% of its employees work in low-labor-cost countries, trimming the average wage to less than $7.00 an hour.
Delphi has minimized its pension liabilities as well, and that has helped lower its break-even point to a 52 million-unit global market. Last year’s market was about 57 million, which is forecast to grow this year.
CFO Clark says Europe is the fastest-growing region for Delphi, which expects its revenue to climb 9.0% annually.
Delphi has a diversified business model and no longer is solely dependent on. Orders from GM account for only 19% of Delphi's business, with only 12% of that in North America. Overall, the U.S. supplies 32% of Delphi's revenue, Europe accounts for 45% and Asia, 16%.
Delphi's revenues topped $16 billion last year, and the company is generating a healthy cash flow, says Clark, noting it is studying ways of sharing some of that with its stockholders.
That could mean restoring a cash dividend or increasing stock buybacks to add shareholder value. If Delphi decides to start paying a dividend, next year would be the earliest, Clark says. But he insists no decision has been made.
Delphi presently is focused on high-margin vehicles. “We don't want to be in micro-vehicles,” says Rodney O'Neal, president and CEO. The company supplies only one car part, a speedometer, to the Indian-builtNano. However, it is building relationships with auto makers in China, such as Great Wall.
Delphi also plans to provide solutions to the problem of driver distraction. O'Neal says his company recognizes smartphones are important to today's motorists, and is planning ways to help drivers stay connected and safe in their vehicles.


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(WKZO) – With the Rose Bowl less than a week away, The Force has already proven to be with one team. Or at least it appears that way.
Nike has unveiled its latest Oregon Nike Pro Combat gear claiming it to be ‘the most advanced football uniform system ever assembled.’
The New Darth Vader inspired uniform reportedly has 16 different synthetic materials making up the complete construction. The jerseys feature larger bolder number and silver sheen outlines reminiscent of Lord Vader’s ship, The Death Star.
Oregon will don the uniforms January 2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.


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F1 commentators were surprised with the announcement that Mick Schumacher had signed for the Haas team instead of what was believed to be the better option of the Alfa Romeo team.
Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur said he was not sure why Ferrari has placed Mick Schumacher at rival Ferrari-powered team Haas for 2021 and beyond.
Vasseur told the Blick newspaper, “Beats me.” adding, “Maybe it made more sense for Ferrari to bring Mick to Haas and keep Giovinazzi with us. For stability in the team.”
The truth of what lay behind the decision regardless of Vasseurs ‘bewilderment’ is what dictates most decisions in F1 – money!
Alfa Romeo is of course the Sauber motorsport team with Alfa paying for the team to be named Alfa Romeo.
With one seat at Alfa Romeo assigned to Ferrari as recognition of the relationship the question asked is why did Giovinazzi retain his seat after a lacklustre 2020 season?
The ultimate decision will have been taken by John Elkann, the president of Alfa Romeo, Chairman of Alfa’s parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Chairman and CEO of Exor which holds the controlling stake in Ferrari, and Chairman and now CEO of Ferrari – you get the picture!
Elkann with his Alfa Romeo hat on was persuaded by the argument that Alfa Romeo needs an Italian driver to bolster their marketing efforts, especially in their crucial home market.
To highlight the significance of the ‘Italian’ connection it is worth noting Alfa’s worldwide sales are valued at $2,827m with Italy accounting for $1,086m.
The Alfa deal is only for the 2021 season and the future will be subject to the strategy decided upon after the upcoming merger of Alfa’s parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA group to be known as Stellantis.
So, Elkann sanctioned the resigning of Giovinazzi and despatched young Schumacher to the Haas team.
It now seems Ferrari is concentrating on Haas moving forward with team principal Binotto confirming several Ferrari employees will work on the design and development of Haas’s 2021 car – at Maranello in a completely different building to where Ferrari works.
Binotto insists that Haas remains a Ferrari ‘customer’, but he admits that the teams will be more closely aligned from 2021.
So how does all this play out for Sauber and what could their next move be?
P.R. coming out Hinwil is of speculation that Sauber will split with Ferrari completely in the near future.
Vasseur has mused, “We are tied to Ferrari until the end of 2021, then we have to go over the books because the next contract should be from 2022 to 2026 with the new cars.
“Until now, Ferrari has mainly been a solid partner.”
The words “until now” speaks volumes.
Swiss-based Sauber is owned by investment firm Longbow Finance which under Swiss legislation is not required to disclose financial statements or the identity of its shareholders.
The original motivation for the purchase of Sauber back in 2016 is believed to have been to secure the race seat for Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson.
Ericsson’s backers were believed to be the Swedish Rausing family, co-owners of the Tetra Laval packaging empire and/or Swedish billionaire Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of clothing giant H&M.
With Ericsson no longer a factor is Longbow now ready to do what investment firms do – realise a profit?
Well, the signing of the new Concorde Agreement establishes a budget cap and a more equitable sharing of the revenues.
Additionally, the ‘dilution’ fund now increases the valuation of a F1 team the so-called franchise effect.
Longbow will have been encouraged by the purchase of the Williams team and the substantial investment into the McLaren team so for them, the issue is stability ahead of a sale.
To this end it was important to keep Alfa on board hence the reluctant resigning of Giovinazzi, this mindset was further evidenced with the resigning of Robert Kubica as test driver enabling PKN Orlen to continue as title sponsor.
Kubica like Giovinazzi was a critical factor for the sponsor with Polish oil retailer PKN Orlen’s president Daniel Obajtek confirming “It pays off for us. The advertising equivalent alone amounts to about $100m.”
“This also affects our retail sales. Robert is very well received by Poles and abroad, with as many as 70 percent of respondents associating him with our brand.”
So, Longbow’s focus is on creating stability ahead of a potential sale in 2021.
There would be several interested parties but maybe in a wildcard don’t discount a joint Michael Latifi and Sylvan Adams bid after the Williams takeover may have scuppered their plans for drivers Nicholas Latifi and Roy Nissany respectively.
On a footnote: Kimi Raikkonen has taken one for the team with the announcement his new family car is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce and in a press release obviously written for him Kimi proclaims,
“After this intense season, it’s nice to get back to a regular life with my family. I still don’t want to give up the pleasure of driving, though, and choosing the Stelvio Veloce means that I can do so in absolute safety, even in the snow of Finland.”
Garry Sloan is the author of “In the pit lane – F1 exposed” details at inthepitlane.com
Copyright ©2021 Garry Sloan
[Note: The opinions expressed on this website are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors and/or publishers.]


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We are competing against some of the biggest brands in the UK and coming out on top.
(PRWEB UK) 10 July 2011
The Greenlight Report is released every three months and details retailer’s performance in both paid and natural search across the internet. The latest results reveal that Appliances Online is the most visible paid advertiser within the white goods sector outperforming more established high street brands such as Comet and John Lewis.
However, it wasn’t just paid search which brought success for Appliances Online; the brand also dramatically increased its natural search visibility moving up six places from November’s Greenlight Report. This success has coincided with the expansion of the SEO team and increased emphasis on improved URLs, user friendly content and more efficient site architecture.
This drive to achieve the top position in both paid and natural search has resulted in Appliances Online increasing like for like sales by an average of 158% in 2011. Traffic to the website has increased by 49% leading to a 60% increase in conversion across Appliances Online in 2011.
Marketing Director Andrew Kirkcaldy believes the secret to Appliances Online’s success is having a dedicated in-house team rather than using an outside agencies; “We are very fortunate to have a group of talented individuals who are constantly looking for ways to increase Appliances Online’s position within both paid and natural search whilst at the same time driving down the cost percentage.
“We have a dedicated web analytics team who constantly research and monitor emerging trends to further understand which key words our consumers are using when looking to buy white goods, we then transfer this information into our Ad Words account and more importantly into the product descriptions pages on our website.”
This attention to detail continues to ensure Appliances Online’s dominance within paid search. The brand currently commands a 68% share of voice within the white goods industry 14% ahead of competitors John Lewis and 29% ahead of Comet.
Routes to Market Manager, Lee Frame is responsible for paid search at Appliances Online; “We believe it is important to differentiate our brand from our competitors. We invest a lot of time in developing our routes to market to ensure the advertisements we serve to customers best match their initial search. We are competing against some of the biggest brands in the UK and coming out on top.”
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